A 45-year-old sailor from the Philippines has died following injuries sustained when a tanker ship caught fire off the coast of Romania. The vessel, a Liberian-flagged ship named Gas Lisbon, was navigating the Black Sea toward a port in Ukraine when the incident occurred late Monday. According to Romanian President Nicusor Dan, the ship was struck approximately 20 nautical miles off the Romanian coast.
The tanker had been transporting over 3,790 tons of liquefied petroleum gas after departing from the Egyptian port of Alexandria, with its final destination set as the Ukrainian port of Reni on the Danube River. Following the fire, Romanian authorities conducted an emergency operation to evacuate the entire 17-member crew. The Department for Emergency Situations reported that three sailors were injured in the incident; two individuals suffered burns on 10-15% of their bodies, while a third sustained multiple wounds.
While the deceased sailor's identity has not been released, local reports confirmed his passing on Thursday. The two other injured crew members, also Philippine nationals, remain in stable condition while receiving treatment in an intensive care unit. As authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the strike, some crew members told local media outlet Digi24 that they believed the ship had been hit by multiple drones.
The incident occurs against the backdrop of ongoing regional tensions, as the Black Sea has seen various drone incursions since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Previous incidents in the area include a Ukrainian maritime drone explosion at the port of Constanta in June, and a separate event in May where a Russian drone went astray and struck an apartment building in eastern Romania, causing two injuries.
Romanian television network Digi24 broadcast interviews with two crew members on Tuesday who said they believed the ship had been struck by multiple drones.
